Bloodstained Moon
by Shadow-Sakura27
Summary: When a sole survivor of BloodClan comes across the Clan cats once again, he has a plan that not even StarClan can stop. The only cats harboring any suspicions are all from Rival clans. Will they be able to swallow their pride and figure out the mystery?
1. Chapter 1

***

**Bloodstained Moon**

**Written By: Shadow and Kura**

**CHAPTER ONE**

***

The cat silently padded over the hills, his smoldering amber eyes glowing in the darkness of the foggy night. It was leaf-bare, and prey had been scarce on his journey, but he, and his followers had made it through. The moon started to peek over the horizon, and the cat's collar glinted in the pale light. Teeth were clearly visible pierced through the restraint. He was the last of his unique kind. The last of BloodClan. And he was thirsty for revenge. He set his intense glare on the forest. After the Great Thunderpath was Clan territory...but he was not ready yet. He had to gather more forces still...and plan...

The BloodClan cat turned to his few followers and looked at each one of them in turn. There were five of them. Himself, and his four companions. Three toms and one she-cat.

"All of you will blend in with the Clans. Learn their weaknesses and strengths. I will wait here for your reports and recruit more cats. Soon, the Clans will die by my paws, and Scourge will be avenged."

The cats yowled in agreement, and moved out. They would follow their leader without any questions. They would restore BloodClan's greatness...

***

The sun just peeked over the horizon, bringing an unwanted glare into Jadepaw's face. Most apprentices would have been excited to go on their first border patrol, but Jadepaw wasn't an early bird...erm cat. He was more content to sleep through the mornings, because, lets face it, he was a trainwreck in the mornings.

The only good thing he could think of was the chance to sunbathe after this was all finished.

"Jadepaw, pay attention to what I'm telling you," a stern voice said. Jadepaw let out a groan, and looked towards his mentor. Ambercloud was a strong cat, and very good at fighting. Jadepaw was thrilled to know that he was his mentor, but now, he wasn't so sure he liked Ambercloud. Too bossy.

"I know, I know. This is the edge of our territory, and we have to mark it. ShadowClan is there. You can tell by their awful stench."

Ambercloud blinked in surprise, but continued on with his lecture about how patrols worked. Jadepaw sighed inwardly, and sat down. He looked around him, seeing a squirrel scamper up a tree. That was the first time that day that he wished he was hunting rather than going on patrol. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't eaten since lunchtime yesterday, and he was ravenous...

Ripplepaw's ginger pelt twitched as she eyed a squirrel brushing its paws over its face on the lowermost branches of the tree. Sableheart, her mentor, was speaking but the words washed right over her head, her stomach controlling her. Sunlight glinted off the leaves above her, and she fought down the urge to hunt. A rule she knew well was 'clan first'.

Lazily, her blue eyes trailed away to watch her fellow apprentice, Jadepaw. It seemed clear to her that he too was focused on his stomach, and she considered asking Sableheart if they could do some hunting. But no, to do so would only cause trouble, and Sableheart was already frustrated with her short attention span. Often, she found her mind wandering, to the point that she had, even as a kit, begun to doubt she would ever be a warrior. At least Jadepaw was aware of what was happening, even if he didn't show it.

Again, her eyes wandered to the other cat with them; Ambercloud, the tetchy warrior who mentored Jadepaw.

"... Ripplepaw. Ripplepaw...?" she winced, for just as her ears decided to tune in on her mentor's words, she had let loose a howl of irritation, and snapped, "Ripplepaw will you please concentrate!?"

"U-uh, yes, Sableheart!" she mewled, crashing back to reality, and ignoring Jadepaw's amused expression, despite his obvious displeasure at loosing sight of the squirrel, who had shrieked in terror, and shot away from them. It wasn't as though they could have caught it anyway.

"If you don't pay attention, you'll never be a warrior. Is that what you want?" she shook her head, tail curling at the thought, "I honestly can't think that there's ever been a more mousebrained apprentice in the history of all the clans! You know, if you had just a bit more sense..."

She tuned out again. She did not want to listen to the lecture, dotted with insults; Sableheart was a good and perfectly pleasant cat on a general scale. But apparently, she, like Jadepaw, was not a morning cat, and had likely never been assigned a more infuriating apprentice.

"Honestly Sableheart!" Ambercloud cut in. "Take it easy. Its her first patrol, as well as my apprentice's. They're tired, and no doubt hungry as well. I saw them looking at that squirrel."

Ambercloud let out a sigh, flexing his claws, and digging tiny holes in the dirt. He would much rather be teaching the apprentices fighting techniques, but he also endured the morning hours of patrol, and they would too. They would have to, if they wanted to become warriors.

"Listen you two. We may stop to hunt for a bit. Catch something for yourselves, and something to bring back for the fresh kill pile, and then be ready to learn."

Jadepaw didn't need to be told twice. With a flick of his tail, he gestured for Ripplepaw to come with him, and without looking to see if she followed, bounded towards the river where there would surely be fish waiting for them.

It was only moments later that Jadepaw had a pile of at least four fish, and stopped to pick out his own morsel for breakfast. It was at that moment that he heard a rustling in some bracken a few feet away, coming from the ShadowClan border.

"Ambercloud! I think we have intruders!" Jadepaw yowled, forgetting his empty stomach. He immediately leapt up, his fur bristling. A hiss escaped his lips as the rustling grew louder, and an unfamiliar smell greeted his nose: Blood.

Moments later, a cat came stumbling out of the bushes, beaten and scratched. He was bleeding in several places, including his nose. Jadepaw winced at the sight, knowing that only another cat could leave such a fine cut mark.

Ambercloud and Sableheart immediately took charge of the situation, appearing in front of Jadepaw from nowhere. Though slightly angry that his view of the situation had been cut off, Jadepaw was also relieved, knowing that one more second of such an injured cat would have made him sick.

"Great Starclan! What has happened to you?" Ambercloud asked the cat.

The strange cat looked back up at him, his eyes pleading for help, "ShadowClan attacked me. I ran away."

With that the cat collapsed in the grass, panting heavily. Sableheart and Ambercloud turned to each other, nodding after a few moments of muffled talk.

"Jadepaw, Ripplepaw, go tell Pebblestar the situation. And fetch Puddlenose too. We'll bring him back to the Camp," Sableheart ordered. Jadepaw blinked, and then when it registered, took off towards camp as fast as his small legs would carry him.

No too much later Ripplepaw and Jadepaw entered the camp. Ripplepaw's eyes darted around nervously, wondering if she should just follow Jadepaw. "Um, I'll get Pebblestar," she said, not checking to see if Jadepaw agreed with the separation, and ducked into the leader's den. "Pebblestar!" she called out, ears flat against her head, "we've found a wounded cat on patrol - um, Sableheart said to come and get you..." she trailed off as the broad tabby rose from his nest, eyeing her calmly.

"You lead," he stated smoothly, and she dashed back out into the sunlight, tearing through the trees until she skidded to a halt beside her mentor.

Pebblestar arrived after their medicine cat, Puddlenose, and bent down to listen to Sableheart's murmured explanation. Ripplepaw strained her ears, trying to hear what was being said, desperate to know what may have happened to the injured cat, whose scent she could not identify, despite having been taught the differences. Then again, she thought moodily, she was never any good at the tasks required of her - but refusing to be down, she insisted to herself that it was simply because of all the blood.

Juniperpaw, Puddlenose's apprentice passed his mentor a wad of cobwebs on his black-tipped paw, and with his help, Puddlenose was able to slowly hoist the other cat to its feet, supporting it as they returned to the camp. Apparently, Pebblestar was at ease with allowing the cat into their territory, though Ripplepaw was positive it was not a RiverClan cat.

"Smokefur, Applepelt," Pebblestar addressed two warriors lounging by the entrance, "Gather a few more cats, and finish the patrol." When the cats nodded and left to obey his orders, the clan leader sat up on a flat rock near the edge of the camp, and yowled, "Let all cats old enough to catch their prey, gather here for a clan meeting!"

Jadepaw sat next to Ripplepaw, letting out a nervous smile, mostly to reassure himself that everything was okay. Obviously, he still wasn't quite over the sight of the nearly dead cat.

"Did you manage to find out what's going on?" Jadepaw asked under his breath as more cats gathered around the flat rock. Jadepaw never really got his answer though, because Pebblestar started speaking.

"Today's morning patrol found a near dead cat at the ShadowClan border. Apparently, this cat had been beaten, and chased away by his own clan. We have agreed to take him in, and heal him. We will question him further about the incident after he has healed. Until then, I want border patrols doubled at the ShadowClan border. If trouble is stirring within their own clan, there is a chance that they may stir trouble with us as well."

Jadepaw listened attentively, and finally, when Pebblestar was done, had to blurt out: "What is the cat's name?"

Pebblestar seemed surprised at the outburst, but didn't seem angry. Ambercloud, however, looked like he was about to have a fit with Jadepaw. It wasn't a young apprentice's place to speak out so freely.

"Dapplewing," Puddlenose called from her den. "That's his name, he says."

"Dapplewing," Jadepaw repeated to himself.

After a few more murmurings, Pebblestar dismissed the Clan, letting them get back to their business.

***

Meanwhile, in WindClan, another bloodied cat had turned up, only, this one was much younger, and unlike the other trespasser, a female. It was unfortunately, Moonpaw, who had to witness the terrible sight of the she-cat crawling through the fields on what looked like a broken leg.

Though it wasn't him that had noticed the cat, it was one of his two friends that were with him: Beetlepaw or Rustlepaw. It didn't matter which. All that mattered now was that the three of them get the poor cat, who looked no older then themselves, back to their medicine cat, but first, they had to know who she was...

"What's your name? Who did this to you?" Moonpaw asked the feline. The she-cat had a golden-yellow pelt, with white lining her chest, muzzle, paws, and tail tip, and she blended in with the dry grass so well, it was hard to tell she had even been there.

It was the scent of blood that had alerted them in the end.

"Sunpaw. I'm from RiverClan. I was beaten and chased away," she finally responded through labored breaths. Moonpaw turned to his two friends, wondering what they should do. She was from a rival clan.... and so now, Moonpaw was at a loss.

A rival clan cat is not to be trusted.

Rustlepaw had this deeply ingrained into his mind, and was keen to get her off their territory. But Beetlepaw nudged his side gently, and though he did not entirely get along with the other two apprentices, he knew any decent cat would at least see if the she-cat's wounds could be briefly dealt with. Suppressing the surge of pity he felt, he tensed his muscles, in case she attacked, and turned to the other two apprentices.

"Alright. Fine," he growled, "I'll fetch Fallenstar and see what he thinks of this. Personally, I think we should chase her away; let her be some other clan's problem." He heaved a sigh when neither cat responded, and ignoring Sunpaw's somewhat grateful mewl, he streaked across the moor, sharp green eyes seeking the WindClan camp. He slowed his pace as he approached Fallenstar's den, not in any particular rush, and not wishing to alarm the other cats.

"Rustlepaw?" Foxpelt, Beetlepaw's mentor padded up beside him. "Where are the other two?" his brown eyes flashed with concern. Beetlepaw was a touch clumsy, and like a lost kit most of the time, so Foxpelt was often worried for the fresh apprentice. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing has happened to them," he replied evenly, "But we've found an injured RiverClan cat here, who claims her clan chased her out. I don't believe it for a moment, but something must be done about her."

Foxpelt's eyes narrowed; like Rustlepaw, he was inclined to believe the cat was a liar too, but at least the apprentice had behaved appropriately; he resolved to congratulate Grasspool on successful mentoring later. The grey furred tom did like to boast about his son, and apprentice. He followed the sleek, midnight pelted cat into Fallenstar's den, and the leader reacted similarly to Foxpelt. Rustlepaw led him to investigate the trespasser.

Moonpaw and Beetlepaw waited impatiently for Rustlepaw to return. The she-cat, Sunpaw, was breathing heavily, and had clearly been given more than just a broken bone. It seemed almost as if she had be choked in a fox trap.

Moonpaw paced back and forth, nervously. Though he knew that a rival clan cat wasn't to be trusted, he was highly concerned for this... Sunpaw. Even if she was from a rival clan, Moonpaw came to the resolution that he would get back at whatever did this to her, though why he decided that, he didn't know. Furthermore, Moonpaw was surprised how much calmer the thought of sinking his claws into the flesh of the RiverClan cat that had done this to her had made him. It was all very strange.

"They tried to drown me in the river," Sunpaw rasped. "They broke my leg so I couldn't swim, but I managed to survive by digging into a log."

Beeltepaw walked up to Sunpaw, and upon inspection of her pads, found that she indeed had splinters stuck to them, indicating she had hung on for her dear life. It also explained why Sunpaw didn't seem to have a distinct scent about her, and why her fur was clumped together as if it were damp.

"Here they come Moonpaw," Beetlepaw exclaimed. Fallenstar trailed just behind Rustlepaw, who bounded up the moor with a grace that could easily apply to someone from LionClan. Both apprentices were relieved at the sight of Fallenstar, knowing he would have the best judgment.

It was at the moment that Fallenstar arrived that Sunpaw began to hack and hack her guts out, until she finally coughed up a mixture of blood and water. Moonpaw looked at her, and then back at Fallenstar. He still seemed suspicious, and rightfully so, but Moonpaw didn't think it was right to let her die.

"You can't leave her like this!" Moonpaw suddenly yelled. "She's also a cat. We must do something!"

Fallenstar looked absolutely miffed at Moonpaw's outburst, and let out a hiss of discontempt with his behavior. Still, with another glance at Sunpaw, Fallenstar stopped. She did appear to be in bad shape. After another hiss of frustration, Fallenstar nodded, gesturing for the apprentices to carry Sunpaw to the Medicine Cat's den.

Goldeneye was, using the most accurate word, impressed with the RiverClan cat's injuries. Rustlepaw reminded himself that Goldeneye had always been odd like that, and tried not to be too revolted when she prodded at the wounds, and the eyes for which she was named glinted curiously. Swallowing the bile that rose to his throat, he sat resolutely still; he and Grasspool had been asked to stand guard outside to make sure Sunpaw didn't try anything. Or, Grasspool had been asked, and Rustlepaw had offered to help. He regretted doing so now, but was determined to show his father he was capable of so much.

"So, they tried to drown you... how did you get to beaten up though? Especially for a RiverClan cat," Goldeneye was saying, and Rustlepaw's ears twitched eagerly. One of the many questions he had also wanted answered.

"Of course drowning me wasn't the first thing they tried," Sunpaw sniffed weakly, "I don't understand what I've done wrong! Suddenly, they all turned on me. Was it because I tried to fetch a little extra fresh-kill? I didn't realize they could be so... cruel," she whined.

Rustlepaw repressed his snort. He didn't believe any of it; it sounded so ludicrous. Just because RiverClan were his rivals, did not mean he failed to respect them as fellow cats. And he somehow doubted that even they would do something so dishonorable. But if that were the case, he mused, why did he believe they'd send a spy? Unless this cat was not from RiverClan? If so, then where was she from? He dug his claws into the ground, frustration getting to him. Truly it wasn't any of his business, was it? He was just an apprentice, and this could be left to the warriors, who were wiser, and more able to deal with this.

And yet... he couldn't shake it. He wanted too badly to know what was going on, wanted too badly to protect his clan from danger. Since he was a kit, he desired no more than to protect things; even Beetlepaw, when he would trip in the nursery. When he had become an apprentice, things gradually began to change, and he wasn't so stupid. After his mother was killed in a battle between WindClan and RiverClan, through her sheer determination to keep fighting, no matter how weak she was, he didn't harbor such juvenile desires anymore, and was quickly proving to be a harsh, and powerful young cat. There was only one thing he wanted, and that was to look after his clan.

Now, this RiverClan cat came waltzing in, and in his mind, threatened his clan's safety, despite the fact he was as of yet unsure how she did so. He listened again, as Goldeneye continued to poke at the wounds, now with poultices, and then with cobwebs. The cat was in terrible condition, and he realized with a tinge of annoyance that in her weakened condition she had exhausted her abilities to explain herself, and fallen asleep. He groaned softly, and shifted so that he was more comfortable. He was in for a long night, it seemed.

***

**A/N: **

**Shadow: Hello fellow Warriors fans! ShadoWolfDemon and Black-Sakura27 here bringing you our addition to the Warriors Fanfic Archives!**

**Kura: Now please, if you enjoyed this little bit of collaboration, PLEASE review. We have plenty more written and ready to post if ya do! So even if this intrigues you a teeny weeny bit, a review or three will get the next chapter up faster.**

**Shadow: Doesn't seem like a whole lot of work on your end, right reader? So… yeah, GO FOR IT. 8D.**


	2. Chapter 2

Unlike yesterday morning, Jadepaw was wide awake the second the sun greeted the winter skies. It was unusually cold today, the wind sending horrible chills all around the den. It would have been better if there were more apprentices, but for now, it was only him and Ripplepaw. Still, there were kits that were almost ready to join the den, but it would be another few weeks at least.

Jadepaw noticed Ripplepaw was still asleep, but his mind was racing with so many ideas, he couldn't help but share them. Carefully, he prodded his companion's side, rousing her in the softest manner he could.

"Ripplepaw, wake up," he said quietly. "And keep quiet. I want to talk to you... about Dapplewing... I don't think he's from ShadowClan...."

Ripplepaw's blue eyes shot wide open. "No!" she gasped, though softly, "You couldn't think so ill of him, surely? You know ShadowClan may have done it. It wouldn't be the first time," she reasoned. She held no spite in her, and trusted just about everyone. In her eyes, everyone had a little bit of good in them. She only mentioned ShadowClan's previous treatment of cats because it helped the situation for poor Dapplewing.

"Exactly," said Jadepaw, "That was Tigerstar - he was a murderer. And that was a long time ago anyway, right? No one here remembers it."

It wasn't in her to so greatly mistrust a person. "I don't know Jadepaw, that's a fairly serious accusation. And if he's not from ShadowClan after all, then where is he from? It makes no sense."

The other cat shrugged lightly, but she could see that he was serious. Unable to concentrate, she slipped out of the den and offered to go do some hunting for the clan. Jadepaw stepped up beside her, and suggested it might be good practice for them. Honeyfoot, the deputy, agreed so long as they took a warrior with them.

After sniffing out Icepath, a happy-go-lucky warrior, they left the camp and moved down nearby the river. The clan could always do with fresh-kill, especially in leaf-bare, and if they broke the ice at the edge of the water, there might be some fish beneath the surface. Icepath spotted a skinny dormouse, and chased after it, leaving the two apprentices beside the water.

A strong scent drifted into Ripplepaw's nostrils, and her claws sank into the ground as the smell of WindClan cats grew stronger. Trying to steal from them, were they?

Icepath, seeing Ripplepaw's distress, placed her tail on the young apprentice's shoulder for reassurance, "Remember, they aren't stealing unless they cross the territory. Go back to hunting with Jadepaw, and I'll keep an eye out. Okay?"

Ripplepaw seemed to relax a bit, and with a glance at Jadepaw, turned her attention back to the river. Jadepaw was quickly absorbed in fishing, knowing he was quite good at what he did, however, noticed Ripplepaw constantly glancing up towards the Windclan territory.

"Relax Ripplepaw," Jadepaw said. "It's just a couple of apprentices hunting, like us."

***

Moonpaw, though not ordered, had kept vigil with Grasspool and Rustlepaw. Beetlepaw was the only was one of the three apprentices that had decided to sleep that night. It was Moonpaw's fist real night of guarding anything, and he had often almost dozed off, but he wanted to make sure everything was alright.

It occurred to him, that he and Rustlepaw were there for extremely different reasons, and although Moonpaw was suspicious of Sunpaw in some regards, he somehow felt that he wouldn't hesitate if Rustlepaw turned and attacked her.

He blinked at his own thoughts, turning his head towards his friend. Surely, he couldn't do anything like that to Rustlepaw, could he? He had just thought it....

He shook his head, and then turned back towards the camp. The morning patrol was about to leave, as was the hunting patrol. Things still seemed normal despite the strange occurrence that had happened yesterday.

Rustlepaw let out something akin to a growl, causing Moonpaw to look at him. His attention shifted again when he heard murmuring voices from the medicine cat den:

"Thank you, I feel much better," Sunpaw mewed.

Goldeneye stared down at her, a flicker of surprise coming to her face, "I've never seen a cat that injured heal so fast."

"It just proves you're a good medicine cat," the feline replied.

_A good medicine cat? _Rustlepaw growled to himself, for how naïve did this cat think they were? How dare she insult their intelligence like that? It had been just one night, and the cat was all fine and dandy?

It was wrong. So twisted, and wrong. Shuffling his paws uneasily, he glanced up at Grasspool, who nodded faintly. Whenever things got too much for Rustlepaw to bear in the relaxed camp atmosphere, he would go out and hunt. He couldn't go alone however, and as tempted as he was to take along a different, older cat, he somehow didn't like the subtle attachment Moonpaw was developing to the intruder. It seemed unnatural.

"Moonpaw," he called, voice rough from lack of use, "Come for a bit of a hunt? The clan is always in need of more food."

Moonpaw only paused to consider it a moment before nodding, and following after him. Rustlepaw had no intentions of speaking to him. He just needed the companionship the large cat's presence offered.

Moonpaw wondered why Rustlepaw decided to venture so far from the camp, though, didn't question him about it. He had a few suspicions as to why he had invited him, and not his father Grasspool, but it didn't matter. He couldn't possibly have any real connections to Sunpaw yet, just, she was a cat... and he couldn't let her die. That was that.

Murmuring on the other side of the border broke Moonpaw's thoughts, and, though he couldn't make out what it was, was sure that it was coming from a few RiverClan cats. As a precaution, Moonpaw walked closer to the border, just to make sure they hadn't crossed it.

Rustlepaw probably thought that Moonpaw was going to do something stupid, because he rushed after the silver cat, his expression spelling out annoyed (at best maybe). Moonpaw inwardly growled. Rustlepaw may have been one of his friend's but the cat was more paranoid than a Twoleg.

Moonpaw locked eyes with the male apprentice, who had just finished catching a fish. He was envious of the RiverClan cats for that skill, but then again, he could chase rabbits, and jump high enough to catch birds when they flew low. At that thought, Moonpaw smirked, earning a scowl from the RiverClan cat.

"RiverClan losers," Moonpaw muttered to himself, knowing Rustlepaw would be able to hear him. If there was one thing they normally agreed upon, it was that RiverClan were sneaky little pieces of mouse-dung. Both of them had lost loved ones to the ridiculous war over borders, and neither of them were very forgiving of the clan as a whole, but over time, Moonpaw realized that this was clan life, and that every single clan had tussles like this. Any RiverClan cat may have lost its parents to a WindClan cat.

That realization had made Moonpaw realize that they were all just cats, and that, being a warrior was almost entirely useless. Still, Moonpaw never uttered his disbelief in the warrior code, ever, to any cat. He was fine with serving his clan, and living a normal life.

Rustlepaw held back his amusement as the RiverClan cats took notice of them. Of all the clans, he hated RiverClan the most. Scanning the three cats across from him, he spotted the heated glare coming from the ginger she-cat. Apparently, she had heard Moonpaw's comment. "Oh look," she hissed vehemently to her companion, "WindClan losers."

Jadepaw jumped when he heard Ripplepaw retaliate to the petty insult, but was immediately more focused on how Rustlepaw would react. Would he lash out? Jadepaw tensed, ready to leap forward if he needed to.

Rustlepaw's eyes narrowed; could she not even come up with something different to say? Pathetic. "At least," he growled deciding to use Sunpaw's story to his advantage. At least this way, there was a chance he could glean more information. "WindClan doesn't attack and cast aside its warriors!"

_Driving out a cat from its clan... that sure sounds familiar... I wonder if Shadowclan knows about Dapplewing,_ Jadepaw mused, but his thoughts were cut short, because he suddenly felt extremely offended. Though something was amiss, Jadepaw was horrified that a Windclan warrior would even accuse this of them.

Icepath's blue gaze flickered to her apprentices. They were angry, but more confused. "Sorry? What do you mean by that?" she meowed.

"Sunpaw," said Moonpaw, "Ring any bells?"

"You peice of fox-dung. How dare you," Jadepaw suddenly yowled. It was unlike him to retaliate in these sort of bickerings, but he didn't like it when Ripplepaw was being targeted. Jadepaw immediately got up from his perch at the river, and walked up to the very edge of the border. Icepath followed him, making sure he didn't do anything drastic.

Though Jadepaw was a young apprentice, he was very smart, and tactful, and Icepath knew he could probably best the Windclan apprentices, but a fight would only bring shame to Riverclan, and only enhance any lies being made in Windclan.

"Jadepaw, step away from the border," Icepath ordered in a voice so stern it sounded unlike her. Jadepaw didn't pay her any heed though, daring the apprentices on the other side of the border to come closer.

Rustlepaw stiffened at the threat, but he was keen to catch this information. He was almost positive that the confusion in the RiverClan cats was genuine. So then, Sunpaw was lying? What for? Where was she from, and how did she get such a precise knowledge of clan workings? He hated these unanswered questions.

"No. We've no cat called Sunpaw among us," the ginger she-cat finally answered, "How could you accuse us of something so horrible? We'd never do that!" His tail twitched irritatedly. She had such a whiny attitude, it made him want to lash out. "Do you have any evidence? Who is this 'Sunpaw'?" she continued. How dare she voice his questions? RiverClan, agreeing with him, was something he couldn't understand. They murdered his mother.

Because she wanted to protect her clan, and him. Because she had fought so hard for the land with the best food, at the time. Some part of him felt at fault for her death, but more than that, it was RiverClan who killed her. He had never, would never, forgive them for that.

"Of course they would lie," Moonpaw said to himself. Chasing a cat out of their own clan? Disgraceful. Surely they would hide it, right? One glance at Rustlepaw told Moonpaw that he believed the RiverClan cats.

_I definitely need to be careful,_ Moonpaw decided, unsure of what side was the right one, but for now, that wasn't a problem. The problem, was the rather intimidating apprentice standing at their border. Moonpaw let out a hiss of warning, his claws unsheathing.

"I'm half tempted to best him," Moonpaw growled. "But we're outmatched. They have a warrior. Maybe we should just leave. There are plenty of other places to hunt. There's no point in hanging around with a bunch of _murderers_ anyway."

Jadepaw let out a hiss at that, but couldn't think of a comeback. He had suffered no loss in the war over food and borders, but he was not about to let these two pricks think they'd won.

Moonpaw ignored Jadepaw's hiss, and looked at Rustlepaw in the eyes; clearly, Moonpaw was fuming, but he knew that this was better than starting anything. Hopefully, Rustlepaw agreed.

Reluctance reflected in his eyes, and he slowly sheathed his claws, narrowing his eyes again. Moonpaw, he knew, was right, and so the two WindClan apprentices left the border.

***

Across the river, Ripplepaw padded up to Jadepaw's shoulder. "They're leaving now." Her tone was heavy; she was just a kit when the war occurred, but she felt sympathy for the WindClan cats, no matter the insults they threw. It seemed to her that they must have lost someone, to accuse them of being murderers. It stung her though, as she would never even consider killing. Perhaps that was another sign she was a weak warrior apprentice; she loathed the idea of hurting anyone, and dreaded the moment when they would begin learning how to fight.

Turning away from the retreating WindClan cats, she suddenly felt no desire to hunt anymore. Certainly, it was needed, but she couldn't summon the energy anymore.

Jadepaw's suspicions about Dapplewing came back to her; cats being chased from their clans violently? Now she felt terrible; she mistrusted the supposed ShadowClan cat, and it made her feel filthy. Also, that WindClan could possibly think her clan capable of something so low hurt her pride, and made her all the more determined to follow her friend's lead, and apply herself to solving this mystery.

Icepath suggested that after they caught a few more fish, they should return to the camp, and tell Pebblestar what had happened. The accusation must hold some truth, though they knew RiverClan were no part of it. If WindClan had also come upon a cat claiming such a thing, it was worth investigating further. Ripplepaw was then reminded of what a young warrior Icepath was, having only received her warrior name a moon ago. She couldn't help feeling that somehow, Pebblestar would be as ever calm about this as he was everything else. His down-to-earth nature was what made their previous leader select him as deputy. Now he utilized this to be a beneficial leader; right now though, she couldn't help but think this was more or less stubbornness.

"Jadepaw," she whispered to her friend as Icepath wandered ahead, "I don't think Pebblestar will do anything about this, do you?" without waiting for a response, she went on, "No matter if those WindClan cats had the wrong idea, I bet something funny is going on. Maybe you and I should question Dapplewing in more..."

"...detail? Yes. I was just thinking that."


	3. Chapter 3

Rustlepaw was still furious after his confrontation with those vile cats. He couldn't help but trust them, and it made him feel revolted with his very being. Grasspool was sitting outside the warriors den, speaking with Ravenheart, the deputy. Curious, Rustlepaw broke away from Moonpaw, and as subtly as possible, took a sparrow from the fresh-kill pile, and listened. Had Sunpaw said anything more?

"...healed rather fast. She's inside with Fallenstar now," Ravenheart was saying. "She really didn't say anything else about what happened? I don't remember that RiverClan ever announced an apprentice called Sunpaw."

"That's true," Grasspool sighed, "But I don't have the best memory, and didn't attend every single gathering. Perhaps she's new?"

Rustlepaw's ears flattened against his head. This only confirmed what he knew from the RiverClan cats; they did not have a member by the name of Sunpaw. So the she-cat was lying, but for what he could not fathom. Beetlepaw settled himself beside him, and asked how hunting went. "Terrible," Rustlepaw growled.

"I sort of gathered that; you're in an awful mood."

"It shows?" he sat back on his haunches, swallowing his bite, and pushing it over a little for Beetlepaw to share. "I guess I am in a bad mood." Tilting his head back, green eyes scanned the clouds above, and predicted rain. Strange, that ginger cat with the innocent blue gaze was still there, in his mind, making him increasingly angry. Why she, of any cat, made him so angry he didn't know. The other apprentice had also thrown insults, and denied the accusations, but did not get on his nerves like this. He returned his attention to his food, and attempted to push the thoughts from his mind, when he spotted Moonpaw outside the medicine cat's den, Sunpaw beside him. They seemed deep in conversation, and he guessed that Fallenstar had considered her case already; a meeting would likely soon be called.

A guttural sound fluttered from his lips as he watched them, and he paid no attention to Beetlepaw cringing from him slightly. He didn't like it when Moonpaw paid Sunpaw attention, it made him uneasy. What if the she-cat used him in whatever twisted plan she had laid out? He rose to his feet, and began to approach them, Beetlepaw reluctantly following after him.

***

"My name's Moonpaw," he said as he walked out of the medicine cat's den with Sunpaw. "Kind of funny your name is Sunpaw. It's like we're opposites."

"Naturally," Sunpaw responded, letting out a small smile. She was limping rather badly, but she did look loads better than she did yesterday, and for that Moonpaw was thankful. No doubt, she would have died if they'd left her there.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Moonpaw started, and then, lowered his voice to a whisper. "Who did that to you? Which cat?"

Sunpaw dipped her head, down, averting her gaze. Clearly, she did not like the question and didn't want to answer. This in itself made Moonpaw slightly more suspicious of her then he had been earlier. Perhaps Rustlepaw was right to be suspicious from the start then.

"I really... can't tell you," Sunpaw mewed quietly. Something told Moonpaw that Sunpaw truly did want to tell him what was happening, but he couldn't be sure. It could all be trickery. "It was more than one cat, so to say," Sunpaw started again. "But I don't want you to hurt my clan, even if they did drive me out...."

Moonpaw sat down. He wanted to believe her, but, he knew that would be foolish. There was something very wrong with this whole situation. Unfortunately, a movement caught his eye: Rustlepaw and Beetlepaw. He bent down to Sunpaw, whispering quickly before the two other apprentices came in range, "You don't have to lie. I know you aren't from RiverClan. Tell me later."

Sunpaw blinked, and looked at Moonpaw briefly. If he knew she wasn't from Riverclan, then why did he still trust her? She'd lied after all.

This, was something unique to Moonpaw, and almost no other cat. Though he was loyal to his own clan, his rule of "cats are all just cats," played above everything else. To him, making friends from other places wasn't a crime, though, he'd be in big trouble if anyone else found that out.

Rustlepaw looked completely unamused at Moonpaw, and Moonpaw let out a small hiss. It wasn't any of Rustlepaw's business who he talked to. Beetlepaw, looked more reluctant to be spying on Moonpaw.

"Sunpaw, this is Rustlepaw, and Beetlepaw," Moonpaw said, eyeing Rustlepaw carefully.

"Thank you both for helping me yesterday," she said honestly. She didn't seem insincere or show any signs of scheming at that sentence. Moonpaw would have a hard time believing that Rustlepaw didn't see that.

At least, Rustlepaw thought, the cat was grateful. He didn't think of her as 'the RiverClan cat' anymore, for he prided himself on recognizing sincerity and honesty; the other clan was telling the truth. He didn't speak, feeling Moonpaw's intense gaze on him, probably trying to gauge his temper. Every moment Sunpaw spent here without his questions being answered was agonizing to him. He wanted to understand, and to get her away if she was a threat. Was she merely seeking shelter? If so... he stopped himself before he asked another question. What good would it do?

"Excuse me," Sunpaw said, rising, "Goldeneye wanted to check on my wounds." Once she left, Rustlepaw settled beside his friend, ignoring Beetlepaw's edgey dance.

"Listen, I know you don't like me nosing into your business," Moonpaw's expression read 'ya think?', "But I do, at least, think you agree she's suspicious. Possibly dangerous. We need to know what she's doing here, and I think we need help. No one else in our clan seems to notice."

"Are you suggesting," Beetlepaw interrupted, "That we seek assistance from other clans?" he sounded appalled, and a part of Rustlepaw agreed with him. But in his mind, it was clear that knowledge had to be sought - from any and all sources possible.

"Yes, I am. It's a suggestion keep in mind - I can't think of anyone we could ask."

Though Beetlepaw seemed terrified at the prospect of getting help from other clans, Moonpaw was ecstatic, though, tried to keep his emotions under control. He nodded, pretending to be in deep thought, "I think... we should do it. In secret. Maybe we can ask cats at the next gathering. Its in a few days... but we should stick to younger cats. The adults seem to not think we can handle this... and I beg to differ."

Moonpaw looked over his shoulder, back into the medicine cat's den, and then back to his two friends, lowering his voice to a whisper. "But I agree... Something is wrong. I don't think she's a threat to us, but something is definitely wrong. I've arranged to meet with her later tonight. If I find out anything, you two will be the first to know."

Though he said that aloud, how much of what he was going to find out was a mystery. He may not find out anything, or, he may find out too much. Perhaps he wouldn't want to tell them anything.

Moonpaw sighed, gazing up at the sun climbing in the sky. It was almost sunhigh.

"I think I'm going to take a nap. I have patrol with Ravenheart tonight."

With that, Moonpaw turned around, and headed for the apprentices' den. Having the Deputy as a mentor meant loads more work for him then most other apprentices. He had multiple duties a day. Why Ravenheart worked him so hard, Moonpaw wasn't sure, because he wasn't ready to become a warrior yet. He had quite a few more moons before that came.

***

Jadepaw and Ripplepaw entered the camp, wandering off to their own corner while Icepath went to Pebblestar's den. Jadepaw knew what was going to happen now. Pebblestar would probably let the whole thing go, assuming that the Windclan cats were trying to stir up trouble from past rivalries. Though Jadepaw couldn't rule out that option, it seemed way too unlikely for him to believe.

"Ripplepaw, I think we need to have a word with Dapplewing, but he still seems to be recovering. Maybe, in the meantime, we can go to ShadowClan... check if Dapplewing was really telling the truth... It's still early. Let's meet up again at sun-high. That way, we can go on a 'hunting trip,' okay?"

She hesitated. Much as she wanted to do something, venturing into ShadowClan would be dangerous, and get them into so much trouble. Yet she was aware that something had to be done, and likely as not, only she and Jadepaw would be willing to do it. But would anyone believe them if they decided to go on a second hunting trip that day, especially after Icepath told Pebblestar what had occurred at the lake?

Jadepaw was waiting for her answer. She glanced over to where Dapplewing sat, soaking up soothing sunlight. What if what was happening would get cats killed? What if it was worse than the RiverClan-WindClan territory war? For a moment, her mind flashed back to the two cats from WindClan, both of whom she felt a swell of pity for - she couldn't imagine what it would be like to loose someone so important to you. Slowly, she turned back to Jadepaw, and gave a curt nod. "Alright. I'm coming. But..." she halted as Honeyfoot slipped past her, "But, I don't think saying we're going hunting will work. They'll send someone else with us; and we've already been hunting today. We'll just have to sneak out." She felt surprised with herself; when did she even become willing to consider this sort of thing?

Sunhigh came sooner than later, and a certain RiverClan cat was ready to go. He had made a point to sunbathe where he could keep an eye on Dapplewing, and overhear any conversation he might have. The only news he got was when Honeyfoot came to talk to him. All the information he gave out was very vague to Jadepaw, but Honeyfoot seemed to buy it.

Still, it was now or never to find out for sure what was going to happen, and so, with a stretch, Jadepaw made his way towards the camp exit.

"Jadepaw, where are you going?"

Jadepaw froze for a moment. His mentor, Ambercloud, had called out to him. Jadepaw had to think of a valid excuse before he left, and came up with only one thing: "I need to have a walk to think about things... I had a stressful day. Don't worry, I'm going away from WindClan territory. You can even watch me leave."

Ambercloud stared at him for a moment, but knew his apprentice was smart enough not to go crossing boundaries... or at least he thought he was.

"Be back before sundown, or I'll come looking for you," he said, and then, turned around to grab lunch from the fresh-kill pile.

Jadepaw sighed in relief, and walked out of the camp. Now it was just a waiting game for Ripplepaw. Perhaps she had more luck with getting out then he did....

***

Days like these, Ripplepaw wished she wasn't as much of a klutz. She'd just stepped on Brightsayer's tail, which given the warrior's temper, was not the best idea. After narrowly escaping her sharp tongue with a mumbled apology, she crashed into Shelltooth, who snapped at her ears, and after that, she stumbled over to the camp exit, only to be stopped by Ambercloud, who gazed at her in confusion. "Hm. You wouldn't happen to be going out to 'think about things', would you?" he asked her.

"Heh... no?"

"So, you wouldn't happen to be meeting up with Jadepaw then?"

"Not at all... why?"

Ambercloud regarded her cautiously before slyly asking, "Oh. Then, just what could interest you beyond the camp today hm?"

She froze. "Uhm... you know, what else could it be but... that? You know the whole... well, I'll bring something back with me! Bye Ambercloud!" and before the startled warrior could respond, she darted out the exit, and traced Jadepaw's scent until she nearly tripped over the apprentice.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"Just... don't ask." Gazing at her dubiously, he began to lead the way to ShadowClan. Every step made Ripplepaw wish she had stayed back at camp - why did she have to get mixed up in this? Oh, right, because Pebblestar would do nothing, and Dapplewing might cause trouble and because she felt so. Damn. Guilty. About something she wasn't even a part of! "Stupid, angry cats..." she muttered, cursing the memory of the WindClan cats. "Should mind their own business..."

"What are you muttering about?"

"Nothing. Ugh!" she wrinkled her nose, the foul stench of ShadowClan hitting her nostrils, "We're not on ShadowClan territory yet, are we? Have they...?" she bristled, letting out a livid hiss, "How dare they set foot on our land!" Or, was Dapplewing telling the truth? Was he really a ShadowClan cat? Then what did he do to provoke such a vicious attack from his clan? It was fairly rare for cats to be exiled, and that at least two had been was bad enough... but Sunpaw was not a RiverClan cat. What was going on?

A pair of eyes narrowed upon the two RiverClan cats, who seemed to be contemplating going over the border. Yellowpaw flexed her claws in and out, digging into the ground in anticipation. The moment they took one step into the territory, she would leap, and prove her worth as a ShadowClan warrior.

"Maybe we should wait for a patrol," one of the RiverClan cats said. From what Yellowpaw could tell, it was a female cat, and one that seemed much more apprehensive of trespassing. Yellowpaw inwardly hissed. She was hoping they would be foolish and step into her trap, but she could have guessed they wouldn't.

"You're probably right," the male cat sighed, sitting down.

"Pieces of mouse-dung!" Yellowpaw yowled, jumping out of her hiding place. "I thought you might amuse me but I guess I was wrong... Fine then. What is it you want? No patrol will be here anytime soon."

Jadepaw blinked at the sudden appearance of a ShadowClan cat, but was glad all the same. Though this cat seemed to have some attitude on her, Jadepaw could tell she was still young, an apprentice, and hopefully willing to spill some information to her.

"We just want to talk," Jadepaw offered. "We have some questions."

"Then ask at the gathering!" Yellowpaw hissed. "Because you're just close enough right now for me to accuse you of trespassing, for which, I might need to take a swipe at you."

Jadepaw was less than amused, and rather than play into Yellowpaw's tactics, asked, "Do you know of a cat named Dapplewing?"

Yellowpaw seemed taken aback at the question, but hissed after her brief hesitation, "What if I do?"

Jadepaw's suspicions had all just gone down the drain with an answer like that. "Fox dung!" he shouted. "I guess I was dead wrong then. Sorry to bother you."

"Bother me? You almost crossed the borders!" Yellowpaw yowled. "Next time you won't be so lucky for lingering around!"

Jadepaw turned to Ripplepaw, and gestured for her to follow him back to camp.

After the RiverClan cats were out of view, Yellowpaw snorted: "Dapplewing? What kind of a horrid warrior name is that? Heh, it feels good to trick a bunch of lowlife other clan cats."

Nightpaw's crimson eyes targeted her fellow apprentice, trying to strike up a fight with some RiverClan trespassers. Personally, she didn't care what Yellowpaw did, but her behavior was interesting; they'd asked about 'Dapplewing', and although she didn't know this cat, she recalled the bloodied ThunderClan cat that had arrived just a few days ago. So, were other cats appearing?

She knew she shouldn't have trusted the cat's word. "Yellowpaw," she purred, "what did they want to know?"

The ShadowClan feline ignored her, as Nightpaw expected she would, given Yellowpaw's general attitude. But Nightpaw was used to getting what she wanted with little resistance, something that often prevented her from making friends, and padded after her. "Did they at least mention their names? I'm only curious," she continued, "You know that cat that turned up from ThunderClan the other day - Foxtail? Yes. So isn't it a bit odd that they come asking about cats we've never heard of...?"

"Ah, shut up. Don't get distracted from your training, mousebrain."

Nightpaw bristled; she was not spoken to like that! It took all her self-control not to lash out, and a reminder that an attack was just what Yellowpaw was seeking. A brawl would not look good to the rest of the clan - apprentices did not behave like common kits. "I am not distracted," she said haughtily, "I, unlike some cats, can focus on more than one thing at a time. It helps when you have intelligence on your side, you know."

Yellowpaw hissed, and rounded on her, also tempted to fight with her. But at that moment, Scarpelt and his mate, Mosswish arrived, and encouraged them to return to camp. Reluctantly, Nightpaw smoothed her fur, and slipped through the thick trees like a shadow.

***

**Kura: Well, I bet this is a pleasant surprise. Two chapters in one day? Well don't get used to it alright? Last chapter held little action, so we decided we'd release this one today too.**

**Shadow: but it won't happen too often.**

**Kura: We've already written a fair bit of this story, but we're far from finished, so we're trying to release chapters gradually.**

**Shadow: That said, if you want more soon....**

**Kura: Review. We love people who review. People who review get presents, and special treatment. So review. You know you want to.**


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